Bill Could Double

Painting Costs

Buried deep within the Vermont House bill to "Reduce Lead Hazards in Housing" is a provision that has received little attention from the press. The section entitled "Unsafe Work Practices" would ban both dry scraping and machine sanding of any surface that still has residual lead paint.

This will include all exterior painting of homes and businesses and even doors and floors that have previously been stripped or sanded (because both processes leave some lead in the wood).

If the bill passes in its present form, dry scraping will be illegal in Vermont (unless the house was built after 1978 or the siding has been replaced).

H.352 reflects the findings of a yearlong task force, and it is well intentioned. Current research makes it clear that exposure to lead causes brain damage in young children; even the smallest level of lead in the blood can lower a child’s IQ. Although Vermont has had a law regarding lead paint hazard reduction on the books for over 10 years, that law has mandates only for rental housing and day care centers, and compliance has been disappointing. Task force members believed it was important to reduce lead exposure in ALL housing.

The problem with H.352 is that it will add significant costs to home maintenance. It is more time consuming to mist the surface before scraping and then wet down the paint chips before daily cleanup. And because wetting the wood surface raises the grain, more hand sanding is necessary.

Some local painters estimate that compliance with lead-safe work rules could double the cost of having your home painted. Although home owners should learn how to protect their children from lead exposure, this bill feels like an "unfunded mandate" on families.

The House Human Services committee expects to vote on the bill this week. You can read the bill as approved by the House General, Housing & Military Affairs committee last spring at the legislative website (leg.state.vt.us). It is on the January 22 Calendar. (Due to a procedural glitch, the current version is not yet in the bill tracking system.) Section 11 sets out the prohibition on dry scraping and other unsafe work practices.

Rep. Sandy Haas, Rochester

Windsor-Rutland-2

[Rochester, Bethel, Pittsfield, Stockbridge]